G-Sync – Launching The ArtPrize Game App

You cannot go anywhere in the city of Grand Rapids these days without someone jockeying to secure your vote.  

No, I am not talking about the constant mud-slinging ads from politicians, but the lobbying from artists running all over town making their case as to why you should see and vote for their work of art.

This is not a bad thing, so take a chill pill, haters.

But, I do think it is important to know when you do hit the thumbs up or down button what it is you are voting for as you hop from venue to venue at the 2nd annual ArtPrize – the world's largest people-powered art prize competition.

And since the event is people-propelled, I thought this would be the perfect week to launch Rapid Growth's brand-spanking new ArtPrize Game App.

We thought long and hard about which platform to launch it with, and rather than make anyone mad by choosing Android over Apple or vice versa, we decided to launch it on a retro real-time platform.

The concept, tested this weekend at a local watering hole, produced results so pleasing we decided to release the code here as a part of our commitment to creative commons principals. (In short, take it and tinker with it to improve it.)

The ArtPrize Game is a competitive-sport-social-promotion-education piece that needs at least two players, a watch or a phone with a timer, an official ArtPrize guide book with the artists' names and a few drinks to prime your debating skills.  (The local Downtown Alliance would prefer you play this at a downtown establishment, but you can play it just about anywhere.)

Each player is given 60 seconds to make their case as to why a piece of art that they just viewed is worthy of an up or down vote.  After the time is up, the next player tackles the same artist but argues the counter point.

This forced and time-compressed, rapid-fire dialogue makes for stunning observations, but most times some of the funniest slip-ups that would make even Freud blush.

After each debate is over, simply vote on your phone the way you want, or log in your vote later on the ArtPrize website.

ArtPrize was widely quoted at their launch in 2009 as wanting to reboot the conversation around art and Rapid Growth's contribution of a new gaming app is about taking the conversation with you wherever you venture over these next few weeks. (And the best part is you never have to reboot the ArtPrize App!)

Art is powerful, and only when we engage in activities where we pause to decipher an artist's meaning within their work can we begin to unlock its hidden language. (Batteries not included, nor needed.)


The Future Needs All of Us (to discover through dialogue.)


Tommy Allen, Lifestyle Editor

Email:  [email protected]
Twitter Feed: @TommyGSync

Click here to continue to this week's G-Sync events.

Photo of Laura and Tommy playing the ArtPrize Game provided by Jeff Hill of Rapid Growth Media


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